Jaycee Dugard Emerges From Hiding, First Photos Appear

The initial kidnapping occurred while Jaycee Dugard was walking to school. Her stepfather watched from a few blocks away as a car pulled over and forcibly abducted her.

Phillip Craig Garrido, 58, of Antioch has been arrested in the case. His wife, Nancy Garrido, 55, has also been arrested. They have plead not guilty. The two are pictured above.

According to reports, Garrido kept Jaycee Dugard, as well as two children he fathered with her, housed in sheds and other buildings hidden behind a separate fence in his backyard. The fencing was done in such a manner as to prevent it being easily seen by others. The walls of the "compound" were even soundproofed.

During the 18 years spent with her kidnappers, Jaycee Dugard not only birthed two of Garrido's children, she worked for his business. Some have theorized that she may have experienced Stockholm Syndrome, which is a well-known psychological response by abductees, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the abductor, regardless of their treatment during the time of kidnapping. In such cases, the abductee may have chances to escape, but not take them, even appearing in public with the kidnapper.

In this case, Garrido's own aspirations led to his capture. He went to UC Berkeley, reportedly to book a conference hall, and UC Berkeley police noted his grandaughters acted strangely. After finding out that he was a registered sex offender with no offspring, the rest is history.

Ironically, Garrido had quite an impression of himself. He once gave a child protection advocate advice on how better to protect children. The Dugard case also points out some issues with California's sex offender registry.

The Jaycee Dugard People Magazine blurb on their website notes that, now that she has been found, she is now living in seclusion with her mom, Terry Probyn, 50, and the two daughters mentioned above: Angel, 15, and Starlit, 11.

This full Jaycee Dugard story will be featured in this week's People Magazine. The new issue goes on sale Friday.

Written by Michael Santo